Orthopedic shoulder brace

Abstract

An orthopedic brace for supporting a shoulder and an arm of a patient can comprise a sleeve, a pad, a pillow, and a system of adjustable straps for positioning and securing the sleeve in a desired position for treatment. The pad can comprise a plurality of pockets for accepting hot or cold compresses therein for providing thermal therapy, and can be removable from the brace to be used in isolation along other parts of the body. The adjustable straps can be replaced with tensile straps, and the sleeve can be positioned along different points of the patient's body to allow the patient to conduct various patient driven exercises, including patient driven range of motion or strengthening exercises.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. An orthopedic brace for providing support to an arm and a shoulder on a same side of a body of a user of the orthopedic brace as the arm, the brace comprising:
 a sleeve for supporting the arm, the sleeve having a proximal end and an opposite distal end; 
 a shoulder pad for supporting the shoulder; and 
 adjustable straps for removably securing the shoulder pad to the sleeve and positioning the shoulder pad and sleeve in a desired position relative to the arm and shoulder, wherein the adjustable straps further comprise:
 an adjustable primary strap having a proximal end removably attached to the proximal end of the sleeve, and a distal end removably attached to the distal end of the sleeve; and 
 a removable and adjustable contra-lateral strap for removably securing the shoulder pad to the primary strap. 
 
 
     
     
       2. The orthopedic brace of  claim 1 , further comprising a supportive pad for positioning the sleeve apart from the body of the user of the orthopedic brace. 
     
     
       3. The orthopedic brace of  claim 2 , wherein the supportive pad comprises a foam material. 
     
     
       4. The orthopedic brace of  claim 2 , wherein the supportive pad is contoured to fit a body shape of the user. 
     
     
       5. The orthopedic brace of  claim 2 , wherein the supportive pad has a wedge-shaped cross-sectional profile. 
     
     
       6. The orthopedic brace of  claim 2 , wherein the supportive pad comprises two or more supportive pads. 
     
     
       7. The orthopedic brace of  claim 2 , wherein the supportive pad is removably secured to the sleeve. 
     
     
       8. The orthopedic brace of  claim 2 , wherein the supportive pad comprises one or more inflatable portions for increasing a comfort level of the user. 
     
     
       9. The orthopedic brace of  claim 2 , wherein the supportive pad further comprises a storage compartment. 
     
     
       10. The orthopedic brace of  claim 1 , wherein the shoulder pad further comprises a storage compartment. 
     
     
       11. The orthopedic brace of  claim 10 , wherein the storage compartment further comprises a zipper to open and close the storage compartment. 
     
     
       12. The orthopedic brace of  claim 1 , wherein the shoulder pad comprises a removable shoulder pad. 
     
     
       13. The orthopedic brace of  claim 1 , wherein the sleeve is configured to have a length that is less than a length of the arm to allow freedom of movement of an elbow. 
     
     
       14. The orthopedic brace of  claim 13 , wherein the supportive pad is configured to have a length that is less than the length of the sleeve. 
     
     
       15. The orthopedic brace of  claim 1 , wherein the adjustable straps further comprise a removable and adjustable extension strap. 
     
     
       16. The orthopedic brace of  claim 1 , wherein the adjustable straps further comprise a removable and adjustable retention strap. 
     
     
       17. A method of conducting patient driven exercises, the method comprising:
 providing an orthopedic brace, the orthopedic brace comprising:
 a sleeve for supporting an arm, the sleeve having a proximal end and an opposite distal end; 
 a shoulder pad for supporting a shoulder on a same side of a body of a user of the orthopedic brace as the arm; and 
 adjustable straps for removably securing the shoulder pad to the sleeve, and positioning the shoulder pad and sleeve in a desired position relative to the arm and shoulder, wherein the adjustable straps further comprise:
 an adjustable primary strap having a proximal end removably attached to the proximal end of the sleeve, and a distal end removably attached to the distal end of the sleeve; and 
 a removable and adjustable contra-lateral strap for removably securing the shoulder pad to the primary strap; 
 
 
 providing a range of motion exercise strap; and 
 providing instructions respecting the patient driven exercises, the instructions provided via one or more of personal instruction, cellular or mobile phone application, virtual reality instruction, and/or augmented reality instruction.